Shopping For Insurance

The only thing worse than shopping for insurance is an appointment with the gastroenterologist and talking about an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Yeah, it's that bad.

I had been with State Farm for almost two years, and when I started with them, they were less expensive than any other company, including the current one at the time, USAA. Keep in mind that to have insurance with USAA, you had to be a service member, or be in the family of one. I became one because my late mother married one, so my sister and I became automatic members.

USAA touts there service and prices, and at the time they were the best prices. However, their prices kept going up, and I shopped around, and State Farm beat them by a country mile. At the first renewal in 2023, their prices went up, but were still lower than anyone else. In 2024, there was yet another price increase, and I called my local office, and all they said was it's because New York allowed a price increase to go through. 

So when I got my 2026 documents a couple of weeks ago, there was yet another price increase! Enough was enough, and I started to shop around. Those comparison websites like Insurify, Jerry, etc are a total waste of time. They are limited to show prices only in your geographic area, so the same companies started showing up, and the prices were different. 

I called USAA, Amica and The Hartford by AARP for auto and home prices. All of them were higher than what I would be paying State Farm even with new increase. Boy, was I disappointed.

I tried to get a quote from Allstate, who dropped me about 10 years ago, but couldn't do it online for some reason, and an agency in Valley Stream tried called me numerous times, but since they are nowhere near me, I didn't answer and blocked them.

Then I called Progressive, and even though Flo wasn't available to talk (just kidding) I did speak to a couple of very nice customer service reps who gave me quotes. Home insurance would be $100 a year less than the new State Farm rate, and about $1200 a year less on the cars. So yes, I went with them.

Then the fun starts with cancelling my policies with State Farm. All I was told I needed was proof of insurance, so emailed them the ID cards. I got a reply back saying I needed the Declarations page, so I called and emailed the girl I spoke to on Friday asking for it. Hopefully it will show up sometime today.

So my advice when shopping for insurance; don't bother with any of those comparison sites, they are a waste of time. Wouldn't you rather save money by making some phone calls than sitting on your computer and getting eye strain?

 

Old Friends

How long do we keep friends for? My longest tenured friend is Irwin, who I met when I moved from Spring Valley, NY to Long Island around 1974 (That's him on the left, I'm in the middle). I recently found his cell number, and left a message, and last night he called me back.

He claimed the message was staticy, and couldn't understand it until he listened several times. We hadn't talked for over 5 years, so I thought it was time. Hopefully we'll make lunch plans for next week. 

My other long tenured friend is Danny, who I met sometime in the 1980's when we worked for the same company. My wife and I became good friends with him and his wife, and we always went out together. (That's Danny on the right)

The three of us guys also went out to lunch, and our favorite place was Pizza & Pasta in Westbury, NY which no longer exists. They had $5 personal pizza's and pasta bowls, so it was a great value.

Danny and his wife moved to North Carolina several years ago, and though we talk on the phone, it's simply not the same as being together. He recently got hurt at work, and is home for awhile, so I gave him some advice on hiring a lawyer to handle is Workers Compensation case, and applying for Social Security Disability. Neither of those should be done without a lawyer.

Finally, there's my friend Steve who lives in Florida. We knew each other in high school, even though we went to different schools. We became friends because we both had CB radios when it was a thing in the 1970's. One of the good things about Steve was he was the manager of movie theatre. I have no idea how many movies I got to see for free, but it was quite a few. After high school, we lost touch.

Let's fast forward to around 2002 when MySpace was thing. I was sitting at work, looking around the site when I see a picture and name. The name looked right, but this guy was bald, with a full beard and mustache. The guy I knew had a full head of hair and no facial hair. So I moved on and didn't think much of it.

Lo and behold, the next day, Steve sends me a friend request! It was the same guy, and we've been in touch ever since. He is a private detective, and I occasionally ask him to find other old friends for me.

Just today, I asked him to find a guy I knew when I lived in Poughkeepsie, NY in the early 1970's, Jack Greenblatt. I remember so much about him, such as his family and even his dog. He had two younger brothers, Harold and Gary, and an older sister, Diane. I don't remember the dog's name, but she had some sort of kidney issue that had her smelling like urine all the time.

As we were on the phone, he messaged me some information he found. Unfortunately, none of them were good leads, except for MAYBE one for his sister. I left a message, and maybe I'll get lucky.

If I'm lucky, I get to keep friends for a long time. Recently, I wrote about the people we met on our recent cruise, Dorothy and Mark and hopefully they will be life long friends because we get along so well, and Dorothy says Mark and I were separated at birth because we have so much in common. I agree with that!

Remember, good friends are like a well built house. You'll have them forever. 

Long 1970's Songs 

As I was sitting in the dentist chair today, I was listening to the music playing, and I knew EVERY single song playing. I asked what station it was, and he told me it was the Pandora 70's Hits station. No wonder I knew all the songs.

Any Disc Jockey from the 70's that actually jockied discs knew what songs to play when it was time to hit the bathroom.

When I was in college at WNYT, all of our music was on vinyl, either 45's or LP's. The station was at one side of the Education Hall building, and the restrooms were almost at the other end. We all learned what records to put on so we could go take care of business.

The four that immediately come to mind are Al Stewart/Year of The Cat, Don McLean/American Pie, Harry Chapin/Taxi and FM/Steely Dan. All of them gave us enough time to RUN, (yes, RUN) not walk to that far away bathroom.

When I was at WGLI-AM 1290/Babylon, the bathroom wasn't that far away. It was around the corner from the control room, and when I was there on the weekend, all alone, I never had a problem waiting for someone to get out. During the business week, you had to hope and pray there wasn't a wait.

Way back in 2004, when I was filling in at WEBE 108 in Bridgeport, CT, the first thing I asked was "Where's the bathroom?" By then, there were no records to worry about, a computer ran everything. So the urgency to put on a long record was gone.

One of the shows I did this year on "New York's Best Rock" was "Long Songs." But those were more classic/progressive rock than Adult Contemporary. There's really no AC station that will play Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Ray Lynch and Renaissance. 

I certainly don't miss the days of having to literally run to the bathroom before a record ran out. 

Ah, the good old days of radio.

 It's All About The Cats

Regular readers know I love cats. My first two were Domino, who we lost to cancer at age 15, and Daphne who we lost at age 14. 

The cat above is Dakota, who is now 9 and still as cute as the day I got her. I call her my velcro cat, since she wants to be with me wherever I am.

When I take a nap during the day, she is right by my side. If I'm sleeping on my left side, I get her butt right up against my armpit, and put my hand under her belly, and she puts her rear paws in my hand. If I'm on my right side, she put her head on my shoulder. I've tried to revere that habit, but it doesn't work.

She purrs until she slowly flips over and is sleeping. There is nothing more relaxing that having her sleep with me.

When we were on our recent cruise, we stopped at a cat sanctuary in San Juan as I mentioned in the previous column. The cats were so cute, and I wish I could have taken one home, but my wife was having none of that thought.

Since we have 3 cats now, would it be fair to them if another one came into the house?

Daisy and Scarlett have been with us 10 years, and get along very well. Daisy tolerates Dakota, and Scarlett hisses at Dakota if she's with me and Dakota wants attention. But if they both are sleeping ON me, it's fine. Having two cats on me is relaxing, but we're talking about 16 pounds of cats on my lap. That makes getting up to go to the bathroom a bit difficult. There's no assurance they'll both come back when I return.

As I always say, ADOPT, DON'T SHOP! Go to your local shelter or vet and get a cat today!

 After Vacation Blues

About a week after getting home from our Caribbean cruise, I woke up Tuesday morning thinking it was Sunday, and I was late to breakfast and meeting my wife and friends on The Lido Deck. I was so disoriented and fuzzy I had no idea what was going on. I went back to bed for another hour, hoping I'd feel better.

No such luck. I woke up with a wicked headache. When that happens, the only thing that works is Nurtec ODT. I usually go to the gym on Tuesday, but this day it wasn't happening. I didn't have the strength for it, or for that matter the will to do much of anything. 

I texted my new friend Dorothy, thinking that she would find it funny, that I thought I was still on the ship. She agreed that she would also like to be at the buffet breakfast.

Being retired, I don't have to go to work that day after coming back from vacation. I had that happen to me to many times, and I vowed it would never happen again. 

After our honeymoon in 1992, I went to work the next day, and certainly didn't want to be there. I was sleepy and lethargic the entire day. After that, I always took an extra day off so I didn't have to return the next day. 

I mean, who would want to go to work after seeing a Caribbean sunset like that?

The few days that followed coming home involved to many doctor's appointments, putting away the outdoor furniture into the garage, tidying up the lawn, shutting down the sprinkler system and catching up on some much needed errands.

Vacation withdrawal is a known thing, and now I want to make plans to go on another cruise with our friends next year. 

Before we went away, a postcard came in the mail offering "A FREE CRUISE, AIRFARE AND HOTEL!" I was skeptical as I always am, but didn't do anything before we went away. My daughter called, but because her name wasn't on the postcard, they wouldn't tell her anything.

So a couple of days after we got back, I called the number, and made an appointment to join a 60-75 minute Zoom call on Wednesday, October 8 at 8:30 PM. Was I excited about a "free" vacation? Just call me Mr. Skeptical. Nothing in the world is free unless your parents give it to you, and even then there could be a catch.

So we get on the Zoom around 8:15, and we are joined in the room by 4 other couples from around the country and the facilitator. We were told that the room was going to be monitored for participation. 

At first, it's just information about what the company does. Head are nodding, hands are raised in acknowledgment to questions, and this guy from Orlando, FL keeps on talking.

Then BOOM...they want you to sign up for a vacation membership! It starts at $9,999 with a $249 start up fee, and then a $199 a year membership fee. 

DEAD FREAKIN' SILENCE IN THE ROOM. DEAD.

Then he says there's good news, that the first 3 couples that raise their hands, get a $3000 discount! 

AGAIN...DEAD FREAKIN' SILENCE. No one raised their hands. We are then handed off to another salesman in another room. 

At first, Daryl seems really nice, going over the benefits of the membership, etc. We keep saying NO. At this point we are over 2 HOURS into this and are dead tired. Daryl then drops it from $6,999 to $4,999, and finally to $3,499 with no start up fee. He keeps hammering away, and I said to him, "You can't sell a salesman." He ignored me, and kept on going, until I raised my voice and said "STOP!" 

He then handed us off to the final person, Hal in Nashville, who started off with an inane story we didn't care about. I again raised my voice and said "STOP!" We said no, and nothing you are going to say will change our minds. He faked being insulted, and said if you want to leave, just hit the red button on the bottom right. 

So I said, "CYA!" and clicked out of the room. We thought that was almost as bad as the timeshare presentation we attended in Savannah, GA a number of years ago. That thing lasted over 2 hours and the kids were not happy. Heck, they promised food and there was nothing.

My wife and I thought that we wouldn't get the promised vacation certificates, but wouldn't you know it, they showed up the next day. The only thing we have to pay is fees and taxes, and I estimate that to be in the neighborhood of $1000 or so for a cruise, airfare and hotel. We'll find out once I complete it.

Lesson learned, I will never, ever fall for one of those presentations again. That's two and half hours of my life I'll never get back.

Let's face facts, wouldn't you want to be on that beach in St. Thomas rather than where you are now or in a stupid Zoom meeting?

UPDATE October 17, 2025: I got a call from Travis at RSI Vacations, asking some questions about the presentation. I told him that 75 minutes should not have turned into 2 and half hours! I also told him that that the two guys after him were rude, condescending and downright horrible to talk to. He apologized, and mentioned that they had been getting complaints about them in the week since the presentation happened. He asked if we were offered the "free" option, and I said no.

Free is not free if any money is involved. The tax was based upon the $7500 value, about $550. Yes, that is a good deal, but we were so pissed about the whole thing we still said no. He said he would give us until the end of the day to decide. Again, a deadline!

I wrote an email to Travis, asking why was it based upon $7000 instead of the $3500 that was the last price offered? I also told him had he given us a reasonable amount of time to decide, that would have been better instead of making a quick decision. 

I still haven't gotten a reply, and I doubt I will. 

Vacation Cruise

The Carnival Venizia

It has been eight years since I went on a cruise, and this one had the same itinerary as the last one, when we went on the Carnival Sunshine to San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. This ship, the Carnival Venizia had the same itinerary, and eight years is a long time, so I figured what the heck. The dates were good, September 22 to October 1.

You see, I was supposed to go on a cruise last year with my wife, but a few days before we were supposed to leave, I got Covid and was sick as a dog. That cruise was on the MSC Meraviglia out of Brooklyn to Bermuda, which we had visited about 20 years ago. Since I couldn't go, my wife and daughter went while I stayed home with the cats.

Before we left for this cruise, I got my Covid and Flu shots with no side effects except for a sore left arm for a few days.

Our boarding time was 12 PM, and we got there a little early, and was put into the security que right away. We went to our cabin and dropped off our carry ons and then went to the buffet for lunch. It's easy to get carried away, but I made myself a promise to not eat like a pig.

I belonged to a couple of Facebook groups, and a lady from Canada organized a meet & greet at one of the bars by the pool. I was excited to meet some of the people I had been chatting with. My wife and I got there at 2, and only the lady that organized was there. Joy and I were truly disappointed that no one else showed up.

Monday night after dinner, we wondered over to the main area, called the Piazza San Marco. There was a young couple singing, and I liked them right away. Their names are Monet and Christian from Canada, and I was quite impressed with them. I yelled out a request for Billy Joel, and I got a wave and big smile back, and they played "Piano Man."

(Christian, Matt & Monet)

So throughout the cruise, my wife and I went to see them, and our favorite venue about the ship was the Carnavale Lounge. It was very intimate and the acoustics were great.

They appreciated us so much, that Monday night when we got back to the cabin, there was a plate with two HUGE chocolate chip cookies along with a note from them thanking us for our friendship. You can visit their site at www.monetandchristianmusic.com. 

We had picked the My Time dining option at The Grande Canal Dining Room, which meant we didn't have to be at the main dining room at any appointed time. Carnival has an app called The Hub, and we had to check in on that. It always said 20-30 minute wait, no matter when we checked in. On Tuesday night, we had checked in and it said that. We got there early no less, and was told there were 85 people in front of us! Are you kidding me??? While I didn't yell, I did show my frustration, and we got seated 5 minutes later to what seemed to be a half filled dining room. I simply could not understand their system, and could only imagine it was a new tablet based reservation system that isn't quite working correctly yet.

I had organized a group breakfast for Wednesday morning at The Grande Canal Dining Room, and was patiently waiting for the group chat members to show up. One lady came up to me, with my picture on her phone and asked, "Are you Matt?" Her name was Dorothy, and her husband was Mark. It turns out, he and I had worked for the same company, so we instantly had a bond. We ended up spending the rest of the cruise with them, and we have plans to meet up with them on October 25.

(Marcy & Matt in the back, Mark & Dorothy in the front)

We spent the first 3 days at sea, and then our first stop was at St. Thomas. We took a 3 hour tour. (NO, we didn't get stranded anywhere) One of the stops was at the highest point on the island, simply called The Mountaintop. 

 

(Looking down at Meagans Bay Beach)

Before we got to San Juan, it was announced that due to hurricanes, we wouldn't be stopping at Grand Turk. Instead they gave us two more hours in San Juan. That meant another day at sea. 

Our next stop was San Juan, and the weather was perfect! Not to hot, and a perfect day for walking. One of our first stops was the Cat Sanctuary, which Joy had told me about. (By the way, after Wednesday, Joy had dumped us because we were hanging out with Dorothy and Mark.) You all know I love cats, so this was a must stop for me. The building was very small, and once we got inside, the odors hit us like a brick wall. The cats were so cute, and one even had a note that it was adopted and was going to Boston!

(The small pink building that housed the cat sanctuary, and the black cat that reminded me of Dakota)

We walked all around Old San Juan, and stopped at the restaurant that lays claim to inventing the Pina Colada, Cafe Barrachina. We got some apps and a drink, and they really hit the spot!

(Here's me and Dorothy enjoying a cold Pina Colada!)

If you haven't been to old San Juan, the colorful buildings are really amazing.

We walked until we couldn't anymore. We purchased t-shirts, stickers, magnets, all sorts of cool souvenirs. When we finally got back on board, it was time for a nap before dinner. A couple of hours later, after a nap and shower, we were ready for dinner!

 

(Yay, dinner time with Mark & Dorothy!)

The next three days went by as a blur. Even though we were on the ship for 6 out of 9 days, there was always something to do. It's up to the cruise director to make sure everyone has fun. I always make it a point to meet the cruise director, and his name is Mike D'Auria. I had read about him before we got on, and the reviews were generally positive. So here's a picture of me and Mike in the Piazza San Marco.

 

(Matt & Mike in the Piazza San Marco)

All in all, we had a great time, and meeting people that live only 2 hours away is a plus. I think we found lifelong friends!

So until next time...Cya Bye!

 Headaches

Migraines run in my family. They started with my late grandmother Dorothy, skipped my father, and went on to my daughter Michelle. 

I've always suffered from heachaches, dating back to junior high school. They usually hit on Sunday night, fearing the next day at school. I was "bullied" before it became a thing, and I not only stood up to these two guys, but reported it to the school principal, who straightened them out pretty quickly. We became friends, and one of them even protected me from other kids in school.

He learned his lesson then I threw him to the ground and told him what would happen if he did anything to me again. 

The headaches went away.

Over the years I had "normal" headaches, and either Tylenol or Advil usually took care of them. Recently, my headaches have been horrible, and I spoke to my neurologist about it, and it's most likely tension headaches because they are at the front of my head.

He gave me a prescription called Amitriptyline, and it is taken at night as one of the effects is drowsiness. It helps with the morning headache, like the one I have now. As soon as I'm done, I'll take a couple of Advil, which will help with the headache and the back pain.

My daughter takes Propranolol which is taken every day to stave off those lousy migraines, which can ruin anyone's day. And I mean a full day full of nausea, pounding head pain, floaters in the eyes and dizziness. I count myself lucky as not having those.

When I saw my primary doctor, I told him about this, and would my blood pressure cause the headaches? I knew the answer, and he said yes. He gave me yet another blood pressure medication, and to take my blood pressure every day. I do, and while there has been some improvement, it's not down in the normal range yet. It can take up to 6 weeks for it to take full effect.

So a headache is not always a headache. Ask your doctor if you think anything is out of the ordinary, it can save your life.